CVE-2011-0013 in Tomcat
Summary
by MITRE
Multiple cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities in the HTML Manager Interface in Apache Tomcat 5.5 before 5.5.32, 6.0 before 6.0.30, and 7.0 before 7.0.6 allow remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML, as demonstrated via the display-name tag.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 12/27/2024
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2011-0013 represents a critical cross-site scripting vulnerability affecting Apache Tomcat versions prior to specific patch releases. This issue resides within the HTML Manager Interface component of the application server, which serves as a web-based administrative tool for managing Tomcat instances. The flaw manifests when the system processes user-supplied input through the display-name tag, which is commonly used in web application deployment descriptors to provide human-readable names for applications. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting, specifically representing a reflected XSS attack vector that allows remote attackers to inject malicious scripts into web pages viewed by other users.
The technical implementation of this vulnerability exploits the insufficient input validation and output encoding mechanisms within Tomcat's HTML Manager Interface. When administrators or users interact with the manager interface to view or modify application configurations, the system fails to properly sanitize the display-name parameter before rendering it in the HTML output. This allows an attacker to craft malicious payloads that, when processed by the web browser, execute arbitrary JavaScript code in the context of the victim's session. The attack vector is particularly dangerous because it can be exploited through simple HTTP requests without requiring authentication, making it accessible to any remote attacker who can reach the Tomcat server's manager interface.
The operational impact of this vulnerability extends beyond simple script injection, potentially enabling attackers to perform session hijacking, defacement of web applications, or even complete compromise of the affected server. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to steal session cookies, redirect users to malicious sites, or modify the behavior of legitimate web applications running on the same server. The vulnerability affects multiple major versions of Tomcat, including the widely deployed 5.5.x, 6.0.x, and 7.0.x series, which collectively represent a significant portion of enterprise web application deployments. This widespread impact means that organizations using these vulnerable versions face substantial risk of exploitation, particularly in environments where the HTML Manager Interface is accessible to untrusted users.
Organizations should implement immediate mitigation strategies including applying the vendor-provided patches that address this vulnerability, specifically upgrading to Tomcat versions 5.5.32, 6.0.30, or 7.0.6 respectively. Network segmentation and access control measures should be implemented to restrict access to the HTML Manager Interface to authorized personnel only, while also ensuring that administrative interfaces are not exposed to untrusted networks. Additionally, organizations should conduct comprehensive security assessments of their Tomcat deployments to identify any other potentially vulnerable components and ensure that proper input validation and output encoding mechanisms are implemented throughout the application stack. The vulnerability also aligns with ATT&CK technique T1190 for exploiting vulnerabilities in web applications, making it a critical target for defensive security operations and incident response procedures.